Illegals are inundating nation's Con Air flights

McClatchey/Star Tribune ^ | 10/28/06 | Michael Doyle

[Kimberly GG]

The U.S. government flew 95,876 incarcerated illegal immigrants and criminal aliens around the country in 2005, which is a 28 percent increase since 2000. Con Air is becoming big business, thanks to illegal immigrants and criminal aliens. And this is one flight you definitely want to miss. Federal officials flew 95,876 incarcerated illegal immigrants and criminal aliens around the country in 2005, a 28 percent increase since 2000. Those foreign nationals now account for nearly half of all passengers flown on the highly guarded federal flights, a new audit found, and tougher border security efforts will boost those numbers even higher. Unfortunately, auditors warn, the flights could outpace federal planning. Officials haven't been looking far enough into the future, leaving the program vulnerable to nasty surprises. ......... Popularized as "Con Air" in a Hollywood movie of the same name, the prisoner flights coordinated by the U.S. Marshals Service through a Kansas City, Mo., office, carried 181,948 inmates in 2005. Passengers shuttle among about 40 domestic and international cities, and they come in many different stripes. Some are being extradited, or transported to new federal prison homes. Many illegal immigrants or criminal aliens are heading to deportation centers, and then to their home countries. Since 1995, the number of undocumented immigrants and criminal aliens flown under guard has grown 826 percent. Most are now being returned to Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic. "Now we're at 115,000 [prisoners transported] and counting this year," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told reporters at a briefing in August. "It will be a record year for us with the total number of movements." .........Immigration authorities in 2005 had to charter planes or buy individual tickets to handle another 62,017 illegal immigrant and criminal alien passengers -- at a cost of $63 million."

[3AngelaD]

Back in the 90s they were putting them on commercial flights, unescorted, for return to Central America. There was an incident where a deportee molested a litle girl on one of the flights out of Dallas, and some similar unpleasant incidents.

[DTogo]

"Now we're at 115,000 [prisoners transported] and counting this year," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told reporters at a briefing in August. "It will be a record year for us with the total number of movements."

Chertoff: GOP stooge in the open borders, cheap labor, pro-Shamnesty movement.

[wolfpat]

There's no reason to land while delivering these criminals back to their homes.

[hosepipe]

Whos in charge of U.S. immigration, the Three Stooges?...
The maintenance of these planes and personel cost must be humoungous..

And these deported ones can merely walk accross the border yet again.. Its a vitual industry.. The WALL is getting to look MUCH cheaper.. and if not cheaper then more intelligent.. probably both..

[Youngman442002]

It doesn't cost anything...these illegals pay sales tax on the food they steal.....don't they

[Lawgvr1955]

I was appointed by the local federal district court to represent a husband and wife from Mexico who were among 14 illegals arrested in a van stopped for speeding in southern Illinois. The husband was 25 and the wife 22. They spoke no English, or so I was told. I arranged for an interpreter to aid me in interviewing them the first time. The interpreter was not available the 2d time. The only Spanish I knew was to tell them I was fluent in Spanish and that they should write out any questions for me and I would get back with them in a few days.

At that point they admitted they spoke English.

It was his 5th arrest, her 2d. The government offered to simply return the 12 if they made a sworn statement against the two who arranged the entry and were the "drivers".

The married couple were flown back home to Mexico after spending a couple weeks in a local jail. I fully expect they will be back soon.

You can add to the expense of the flight, the cost of housing in a local jail and they payment of the attorneys and interpreters appointed to represent them.

[Lawgvr1955]

That should read "I was NOT fluent" in Spanish and they would have to write out questions for me. It was at that point they admitted the were lying about not speaking English.

[ladyjane]

Why are we not charging their home countries?

[ladyjane]

Why are we not charging their home countries?

[verbal voter]

We should log the expenses associated with each, bill their home country, and if not paid deduct from any aid to those countries or our UN dues.

[Condor51]

Since 1995, the number of undocumented immigrants and criminal aliens flown under guard has grown 826 percent.

Uh-huh, and since Dubya first uttered the words "Guest Workers" in 2002 the number is prolly 800%. As THAT is when the tsunami started (before that it was 'only' a flood).

And every time he continues to say "Guest Workers" he just emboldens MORE Illegals to flaunt the law and come for El Presidente Jorge's non amnesty Amnesty!

(The discontent 'problem' is NOT Iraq Dubya, it's the ILLEGALS - buy a clue will ya)

[wolfcreek]

Another example of tax funded waste. Without a means to keep these people from returning, it's like the taxpayers giving away free vacations.

[hnj_00]

absolutely....start billing those banana republics....and cut off aid to them!!!!!

if that does not work...start repatriating the illegals by dropping them out of the sky....the rest would quickly get the message and stay home!!!

[johnny7]

I say catapult them back over the border. If they're from overseas... they should have a ride waiting for when they land.

[F-117A]

Put them aboard prison ships and return them to country of origin when full!

[sheana]

Hubby used to work for the fire dept in an illegal alien community. All his crew was caucasian, he speaks perfect Spanish.
When they would go on a call, they would all get out of the truck and just stand there while the Spanish speakers talked among themselves. He understood everything they said and they were usually getting their stories together. When they got no tesponse from the firefighters....whoala! they could speak English.
By then it was too late, hubby already knew their full story just by pretending he spoke no Spanish. When the police would arrive he would tell them what was REALLY going on.

[gubamyster]

ping

[TheLion]

Bttt!

[kcvl]

Illegal immigrants now account for more than half the passengers flown on the real 'Con Air', Justice Department auditors reported.

Immigration authorities in 2005 had to charter planes or buy individual tickets to handle an additional 62,017 illegal immigrant and criminal alien passengers - at a cost of $63 million.

This "expedited removal" program began last September in order to cut through the red tape and remove undocumented immigrants from the United States -- not within months or years, as was typical, but within days. The number of flights nationally has already been increased to 12 per week. ICE officials say they've removed 81,000 people in three months this year. Never before have so many illegal immigrants been removed from the United States in such a short period of time, these officials tell us.

The flight we're on is headed for Honduras. Onboard, we find immigrants separated by two classifications: 1) Criminal aliens, whose crimes range from heroin smuggling, murder and petty offenses; 2) Those whose sole crime is being in the United States illegally. (according to CNN's Anderson Cooper)


Prior to the "Con Air" program, illegal aliens would have gotten written notice to appear for a deportation hearing. More often than not, they wouldn't show, according to Gary Mead, assistant director of ICE. Now, they often are on plane out of the country within days.

"It's a hope that these people, when they get back, will explain to others that there is no safe haven anymore, and that when people are apprehended, they are processed quickly and they are returned quickly," Mead said.